Pneumatic-tire-trouble indicator.



F. H. BRUNIG.

` PNEUMATIG TIRE TROUBLE INDICATOR.

APPLIGATIOR Hmm AUG'. 999999 a.

1,096,526. Alfawelnedmy 12, 1914.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1". y11. B'RUNIG. I PNEUMATIG TIRE TROUBLE INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1913.

1,096,526. v v Pandimay 12,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

g UNITED srafrns PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK H.l BBUNIG, OF KANSAS CXTY, MISSOURI.-

PNEMATIC-TIBE-TMUBLE INDICATOR.

Seeeiieation of Lettersratent. Patented 12, 1914 Application led Auzust29, 191,8. Serial No. 'IS7-,35.8.

To all whom it may concern.'-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. BRU- Nlo, a citizen of the United States, residing lat Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State `of Missouri, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements in lneumatic-Tire-Trouble Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

-This invention relates to neumatic-t-ire trouble indicators, and my o ject is to devise an electric signaling apparatus adapted to be installed in connection with the tire on the wheel and to sound an alarm the moment a i unctu're is produced in the tire. It is a rther object to rovide a device of this character which wil be capable of indicating the condition ofthe tire, whether or not the same is inflated above a given pressure, by giving an alarm' at the instant the tire'h'as become collapsed sufiiciently to reduce the pressure below a given point.

With these general objects in view, my invention comprises various novel and peculiar features of construction, all'as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims; and to afford a full and clear understanding of the same, lreference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a portion of a wheel having In improvements applied thereto, a. portion o the tire and of the housing of my device being broken away to disclose the interior arrangement; Fig. 2 is asection through the tire, rim and felly of the wheel, and also the pressure gage portion of the device. Fig. 3 1s an enlarged section through a portion of the tire, showing the disposition of the'batteryterminals between the tire casings; Fig. 4 is-adiagram of the electric circuit. Referring to the drawings, I' provide each of the wheels of the vehicle with a housing 2 located between a pair of adjacent spokes 4, and having a hinged section 6 on its outer face to afford convenient access to the interior. Within the housing are'located a bat'- tery of cells 8 and a'buzzer 10 having the wire' connection 12, which battery and buzzer are connected by the insulated'w'ires 14 with a pair of brushes 16 mounted on the insulation blocks 18 secured bythe screws 20 to the housing. These brushes are positioned to rest against a pair of contact pieces 22 Acarried by a rubber plunger` 24 slidingly l mounted in a bore'26 provided therefor in* the felly 28 and rim 30 of the wheel, said vbore communicating with the 'outer easing A of the tire, within which the plunger extends and terminates in anenlarged portion 34 adapted to bear against the inner casing 36 o f the tire. Between the inner and outer t1re caslngs 36 and 32 is disposed a series of three rubberized fabric layers 38 in-the outer or tread half of the tire, and between the middle of said layers and each of the others is a layer of conducting material such as tin-foil 40 or a fine. mesh wire. Against these layers 40 respectively of conducting material are brought the terminals 42 of a pair of conducting wires 44 leading to the contact pieces 22, said wires.44 passing between the inner and outer tire casings and through a space 46 provided therefor in theV plunger 24.

From the vforegoing structure it vwillv be leaks in the tires resulting at length in an unsatisfactorypartially collapsed condition of the tires. I accomplish this by the following means: The inner end of the plunger 24 extends into abutting relation with a plunger cup'48 within which is seated one end of a coil spring 50, the other end of which spring is seated against `a partition 52 in a cylinder 54 which slidingly receives said plunger cupl 48. The inner end of the cylinder is internally threaded to engage an externally threaded boss 56 formed onthe inside of the housing, whereby the tension 'of the spring 50 may be adjusted, a knurledy portion 58 being )rovided on the part 50 to facilitate this ad]ustment. Connected contacts (30 are provided on opposite sides of Y the plunger 24, a suitable distance from the contacts 22 to be engaged by the brushes 16 whenever the plunger is moved vappreciably outward under the influence of the Vspring 50. It will be understood that the spring will be set at a tension corresponding tothe pressure which. it is desired to maintain in the tire, andwhenever this tire pressure is' reduced- 011 account of leakage, the tension of the spring is relaxed` and incidentally moves the plunger outward, with the result that the electric circuit will be closed as soon as the contacts 60 reach the brushes.

Whether the circuit is closed due to a4 puncture or by the gradual collapse of the tire, it is of course obvious that the alarm given by the :buzzer immediately indicates to the driver the condition of the tire, and steps can be taken to remedy ythe trouble Without delay, thereby avoiding the increased damage often resultin from continued riding on a partially attened tire through failure to discover its injured condiscope of the following claims, including the incorporation, if found desirable, of the yinsulated conductors in the outer tire casing as well as between the layers 38 as shown.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a tire, insulated layers of conducting material disposed in the tread portion of said tire, and an electric circuit including a signaling device and having conductors terminatlng in said layers, whereby an instrument .piercing said tire and connecting said layers will close the circuit. 4

2. In ari-apparatusy of the character described, the combination of a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire, an electric circuit including a signaling device, a spring-actuated insulated plunger mounted slidingly in the tellyv of the Wheel and bearing against ,the inner casing of the tire, said circuit having brushes in sliding contact with said plunger and the latter carrying insulated contacts held in contact with the brushes When the tire is fully distended, conductors connected with said brushes and provided with insulated terminals in the tread portion of the tire in position to be connected by an instrument passing through said tread portion, and a pair of connected contacts carried by said plunger and adapted to be brought in contact with said brushes upon a reduction of the pressure Within the tire below a iven point.

In testlmony whereof I zflixmy signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK H. 'BRUNIG- I Witnesses:

CHAS. W.- GERARD, G. Y. THORPE. 

